Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention relates to containers and closures. The invention is more particularly related to a sealable closure which is especially suitable for use with a wide-mouth container of product that can be scooped from or poured from the container when the closure lid is opened.
Various product packaging designs employ closures with one or more barriers or seals across an opening to the package. Such seals can serve as primary or secondary barriers to contaminant ingress. Such seals may also maintain product freshness. In addition, such seals may provide a tamper-indicating function wherein breaking or removing the seal provides evidence that the package has been opened.
Examples of a closure with an internal tamper-indicating seal are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,948,003 and 4,807,769. These types of closures include a base for mounting the closure to the container. The base includes a pour spout. The pour spout is initially occluded by a sealing disk or member. The periphery of the sealing disk defines a reduced cross-sectional thickness of material which functions as a frangible web connecting the sealing disk to a radially outward region of material. An exterior portion of the sealing disk may include a pull tab which is grasped by a user""s fingers for ripping the sealing disk out of the pour spout. The closure also includes a hinged lid with an internal collar to telescopically receive the pour spout in sealing engagement when the lid is closed so as to provide a liquid-tight and air-tight system after the sealing disk has been removed.
While closures of the above-discussed type may function generally satisfactorily in applications for which they are intended, it would desirable according to discoveries relating to the present invention to provide an improved closure with enhanced features.
For example, some containers, such as jars for peanut butter and other such paste-like products, typically have a relatively wide mouth. It would be desirable to provide an improved closure which could extend over the wide mouth of such a container and which would have a lid that could be opened to permit access to the container interior and subsequently closed.
Preferably, such an improved closure should accommodate insertion of a kitchen implement such as a knife, spoon, or spatula after the lid is opened without requiring removal of the closure from the container.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved closure could include means for retaining the lid with the closure when the lid is open. Further, it would be advantageous if such an improved closure could include means for providing tamper-indication that would furnish evidence that the lid has been opened or at least that could provide evidence of tampering with the lid. It would be desirable to provide such tamper-indication means that is consumer friendly with respect to its operations and that does not create loose waste pieces requiring disposal.
Some types of containers, especially containers designed for food products or pharmaceutical products, include a thin, flat paper or film liner secured to the top of the container across the mouth of the container. The liner must be broken and/or removed in order to permit the container contents to be accessed. Such a liner has a tamper-indicating function. Such a liner also serves to prevent contaminant ingress and maintain product freshness. It would be desirable to provide an improved closure which could accommodate the use of such a liner initially on the container and which could, after removal of the liner, provide a re-sealing function. Preferably, such an improved closure should accommodate the use of existing liner technology, including separate induction or pressure sensitive innerseals.
Also, it would be desirable if such an improved closure could be provided with a design that would accommodate efficient, high quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate. Further, it would be beneficial if the improved closure could be molded in the closed position so as to maximize mold capacity and increase manufacturing efficiency.
Further, such an improved closure should advantageously accommodate its use with a variety of conventional containers having a variety of conventional container finishes, such as conventional threaded or snap-fit attachment configurations. Such an improved closure design should also optionally accommodate the incorporation of the closure as a unitary part of the container.
The present invention provides an improved closure which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.
According to the present invention, an improved closure structure is provided for an opening to a container interior. The closure structure includes a lid which is easily manipulated by the user to an open position and which can be readily closed to occlude the opening. The closure structure of the present invention is adapted to reseal an inner peripheral surface defined at least partly around the container opening. The closure is also provided with a tamper-indicating, frangible web which is torn when the lid is initially opened.
According to one aspect of the invention, the closure includes a closure base for extending around the container opening, and the closure includes a lid on the closure base. The lid is connected to the base with a hinge web. The hinge web has (1) a first end connected to the closure base, (2) a second end connected to the lid, and (3) two sides which each extends between the first and second ends. A frangible, reduced-thickness section of material also initially connects the lid to the closure base. The frangible, reduced-thickness section of material also initially connects both of the hinge web sides to the closure base or to the closure lid for initially holding the lid sealed closed at a tamper-evident, first closed position. In the preferred embodiment, the frangible, reduced thickness section of material initially connects both of the hinge web sides to the closure base.
The closure structure accommodates subsequent movement of the lid relative to the first closed position so as to break the frangible connection and so that the lid becomes selectively located at one of the following two positions: (1) a second closed position inwardly of the first closed position, or (2) an open position outwardly of both the first closed position and the second closed position. In a preferred form of operation, the lid can be initially pushed down by the user to break the frangible, reduced-thickness section of material. Subsequently, the lid can be lifted upwardly, past the initial, first closed position, to an open position, including to an open position that locates the lid at a substantially 180xc2x0 orientation relative to the initial, first closed position of the lid. This permits access to the container opening without interference from the lid.
In an alternate form of operation, instead of the user initially pushing down on the lid, the user may pull the lid upwardly to tear the frangible, reduced-thickness section of material that initially connects the lid to the closure base.
The closure is especially suitable for use with large, xe2x80x9cwide-mouthxe2x80x9d jars or other containers. When the closure is open, a wide range of kitchen implements, such as knives, spoons, spatulas, etc., can be inserted into the opening for removing the contents from the container. In the preferred embodiment, the closure structure is a separate closure that is adapted to be mounted on the container and that defines an access aperture for communicating with the container opening. However, in an alternate form of the closure structure, the closure structure can be formed as a unitary part (i.e., extension) of the container at the container opening.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.